Yavlinsky Meets Medvedev

Grigory Yavlinsky, the former leader of Yabloko, met with President Dmitry Medvedev last week and secured his support for the party’s bid to run in the Moscow City Duma elections this fall, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported Monday, citing a Kremlin source.

The source said the country’s leadership informed Mayor Yury Luzhkov that he should not hinder the liberal party’s campaign. Luzhkov announced last week that he would head the United Russia ticket in the city council elections. (MT)

Bus Crash on Rublyovka

A shuttle bus crashed Monday morning on Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Shosse, west of Moscow, injuring 11 passengers, RIA-Novosti reported.

Traffic police said the bus veered from the road because the driver was distracted while selling tickets.

Last month, the Moscow City Duma voted for a bill banning shuttle bus drivers from smoking, using mobile phones and selling tickets to passengers while driving. The bill has not yet been signed into a law by Mayor Yury Luzhkov. (MT)

Russia Backs UN Sanctions

The Russian government has renewed its support for UN sanctions designed to halt North Korea’s efforts to expand its nuclear arsenal, Philip Goldberg, the U.S. envoy for implementing the sanctions, said Monday.

After North Korea’s second nuclear test in May this year, the UN Security Council passed a resolution expanding an existing arms embargo. (Reuters)